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Landfill Sites
14. Mrs. Patsy Calton (Cheadle) (LD): What steps are being taken to tackle the effects of pollution from landfill sites. [152877]
The Minister for Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality (Alun Michael): There are strict controls on landfill sites aimed at preventing or reducing any negative impact on the environment. In the spring, we will publish a review of the environmental and health effects of waste management, which brings together existing literature and evidence on the health and environmental effects of waste management, and will provide a valuable side-by-side comparison of different waste management options.
Mrs. Calton : I thank the Minister for his response. Will he consider keeping a register of all sites containing materials harmful to human health, and make it a criminal offence to withhold information, whatever the source, about the tipping of such materials, either now or in the past?
Alun Michael: I am not sure what examples the hon. Lady is pointing to that are not already covered by controls on tipping. As she will understand, we are doing our best both to get a proper fix on the health impact and reduce the UK's reliance on landfill. If she has specific examples that she would like to draw to my attention one of my ministerial colleagues or I would be happy to respond.
Norman Baker (Lewes) (LD): The Minister said that there are strict controls on landfill, but is he aware that in 2002 there were 285 major landfill pollution incidents? Only one in 200 incidents resulted in a fine for the operator, averaging just £6,000, which is a pittance to landfill operators. Is not the message from the Government that the polluter does not pay, and what is the Minister going to do about it?
Alun Michael: I have just suggested that we want a better informed understanding of the environmental effects of waste management and a reduction in the UK's reliance on landfill. The figures that the hon. Gentleman referred to are a matter of concern, and I can assure him that they are kept under review both by DEFRA and the Environment Agency.
Operation Gangmaster
15. Mr. Peter Luff (Mid-Worcestershire) (Con): If she will make a statement on her Department's involvement in Operation Gangmaster. [152879]
The Minister for Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality (Alun Michael): DEFRA staff are involved when required in Operation Gangmaster activities, on which the Department for Work and Pensions takes the lead.
Mr. Luff: The Minister will know that there is concern that Operation Gangmaster is not an effective mechanism to deal with the activities of rogue gangmasters. Could he tell the House whether the Government intend to support the Gangmasters
(Licensing) Bill, which is due for its Second Reading on Friday 27 February, or do they prefer more effective enforcement of the current regulatory regime? If it is the latter, they must put more effort into doing so.
Alun Michael: Results are coming out of the work. For example, the Department for Work and Pensions identified 235 overpayments and 1,023 adjustments to benefit worth £405,000, securing 138 sanctions and prosecutions. Figures show that the Inland Revenue's success in relation to unpaid tax and national insurance is worth £4.3 million. Steps are being taken that are producing results. However, I recognise hon. Members' interest in taking further measures to deal with gangmasters, and we are carefully considering, with colleagues in other Departments, the private Member's Bill to which the hon. Gentleman referred.
Business of the House
12.30 pm
Mr. Oliver Heald (North-East Hertfordshire) (Con): Will the Leader of the House please give us the business for next week?
The Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Peter Hain): The business for next week will be as follows:
Monday 9 February—Second Reading of the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Bill.
Tuesday 10 February—Opposition Day [4th Allotted Day]. There will be a debate entitled "The State of the Environment" followed by a debate on local taxation. Both debates arise on a motion in the name of the Liberal Democrats.
Wednesday 11 February—Motion to approve the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2004 followed by Opposition half-day [5th Allotted Day] (1st Part). There will be half-day debate entitled "Confusion Over the Powers of the Proposed Elected Regional Assemblies" on an Opposition motion.
Thursday 12 February—Motion to approve a money resolution on the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Bill followed by a motion to take note of the outstanding reports of the Public Accounts Committee to which the Government have replied. Details will be given in the Official Report.
The provisional business for the week after the half term week will be:
Monday 23 February—Second Reading of a Bill.
Tuesday 24 February—Motions relating the Draft Social Security Benefits Up-Rating Order 2004 and the Draft Guaranteed Minimum Pensions Increase Order 2004 followed by Opposition half-day [5th Allotted Day] (2nd Part). There will be a half-day debate on an Opposition motion. Subject to be announced.
Wednesday 25 February—Debate on the Report from the Privy Counsellor Review Committee on the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.
Thursday 26 February—Motion to approve a money resolution on the Employment Relations Bill followed by a debate on Welsh affairs on a motion for the Adjournment of the House.
Friday 27 February—Private Members' Bills.
| Report No | Title of Report | Publication Date |
| 1st | Collecting the Television Licence Fee | 18 Dec. 2002 |
| 2nd | Dealing with Pollution from Ships | 9 Jan. 2003 |
| 3rd | Tobacco Smuggling | 10 Jan. 2003 |
| 4th | Private Finance Initiative: Redevelopment of MOD main Building | 30 Jan. 2003 |
| 5th | The 2001 Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease | 14 March 2003 |
| 6th | Ministry of Defence: Exercise Saif Sareea II | 12 March 2003 |
| 7th | Excess Votes 2001–02 | 19 March 2003 |
| 8th | Excess Votes (Northern Ireland) 2001–02 | 19 March 2003 |
| 9th | The Office for National Statistics: Outsourcing the 2001 Census | 26 March 2003 |
| 10th | Individual Learning Accounts | 4 April 2003 |
| 11th | Facing the Challenge: NHS Emergency Planning in England | 16 April 2003 |
| 12th | Tackling Pension Poverty: Encouraging Take-up of Entitlements | 9 April 2003 |
| 13th | Ministry of Defence: Progress in Reducing Stocks | 11 April 2003 |
| 14th | Royal Mint Trading Fund 2001–02 Accounts | 17 April 2003 |
| 15th | OPRA: Tackling the Risks to Pension Scheme Members | 2 May 2003 |
| 16th | Improving Public Services through Innovation: The Invest to Save Budget | 9 May 2003 |
| 17th | Helping victims and witnesses: the work of Victim Support | 8 May 2003 |
| 18th | Reaping the Rewards of Agricultural Research | 16 May 2003 |
| 19th | The PFI contract for the redevelopment of West Middlesex University Hospital | 6 June 2003 |
| 20th | Better public services through call centres | 5 June 2003 |
| 21st | The operations of HM Customs and Excise in 2001–02 | 12 June 2003 |
| 22nd | PFI refinancing update | 13 June 2003 |
| 23rd | Innovation in the NHS—the acquisition of the Heart Hospital | 18 June 2003 |
| 24th | Community Legal Service:The Introduction of Contracting | 20 June 2003 |
| 25th | Protecting the Public from Waste | 25 June 2003 |
| 26th | Safety, quality, efficacy: regulating medicines in the UK | 26 June 2003 |
| 27th | The management of substitution cover for teachers | 26 June 2003 |
| 28th | Delivering better value for money from the Private Finance Initiative | 19 June 2003 |
| 29th | Inland Revenue: Tax Credits and tax debt management | 2 July 2003 |
| 30th | Department for International Development: Maximising impact in the Water Sector | 3 July 2003 |
| 31st | Report Tackling Benefit Fraud | 4 July 2003 |
| 32nd | The Highways Agency: Maintaining England's Motorways and trunk roads | 11 July 2003 |
| 33rd | Ensuring the effective discharge of older patients from NHS acute hospitals | 17 Sept. 2003 |
| 34th | The Office of Fair Trading: progress in protecting consumers' interests | 9 July 2003 |
| 35th | PFI Construction Performance | 16 July 2003 |
| 36th | Improving service quality: Action in response to the Inherited SERFS problem | 17 July 2003 |
| 37th | Ministry of Defence: The Construction of nuclear submarine facilities at Devonport | 10 Sept. 2003 |
| 38th | Department of Trade and Industry: Regulation of weights and measures | 10 July 2003 |
| 39th | A safer place to work: Protecting NHS hospital and ambulance staff from violence and aggression | 23 July 2003 |
| 40th | Improving social housing through transfer | 24 July 2003 |
| 41st | Modernising procurement in the Prison Service | 18 Sept. 2003 |
| 42nd | A safer work place to work: Improving the management of health and safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts | 15 Oct. 2003 |
| 43rd | Fisheries enforcement in England | 13 Nov. 2003 |
| 44th | New IT Systems for Magistrates Courts: The Libra project | 11 Nov. 2003 |
| 45th | Protecting public health and consumer interests in relation to food: the Food Standards Agency | 27 Nov. 2003 |
| 46th | Ministry of Defence: Building an air manoeuvre capability: the introduction of the Apache Helicopter | 18 Nov. 2003 |
| 47th | Film Council: Improving access to, and education about, the moving image through the British Film Institute | 4 Dec. 2003 |
| 48th | The Public Private Partnership for National Air Traffic Services Ltd | 9 Dec. 2003 |
| 49th | The operational performance of PFI prisons | 2 Dec. 2003 |
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